In the manufacture of semiconductor devices such as integrated circuits, generally, the single components of the semiconductor devices are manufactured on a wafer-level. After the manufacture of the single devices has been completed, the components and the semiconductor devices are tested. For example, integrated circuit may be tested for functional defects by applying special test patterns to the integrated circuit. After testing, the wafer is diced into single dies and the functioning dies are further packaged and sold.
Usually, probe cards are used for testing the components and the semiconductor devices. In particular, the probe cards serves as an electro-mechanical interface between the component to be tested and the testing apparatus. As there is a growing requirement for RF components and devices, the need to characterize the RF performance of a probe card increases.
The performance and the electrical characteristics of the probe cards are important for assessing the real characteristics of the components to be tested. Accordingly, there is a need for a method and a system for measuring and quantifying the RF performance of a probe card.